Chapter 221: Contentment

Yu Nian'an closed the door and led Qi Xia to the sofa, helping him sit down slowly.

But Qi Xia seemed entranced, staring at Yu Nian'an the whole time.

"Xia, what's wrong with you?"Yu Nian'an took hold of Qi Xia's hands. "If there's something you need to tell me, please say it. Don't make me worry."

"I'm fine."Qi Xia shook his head. "I've never felt this good in my whole life."

"You're always like this."Yu Nian'an sighed and sat down beside him on the small single sofa, where they could snuggle together. "You like to keep everything bottled up inside, and that can lead to problems over time. So, tell me—what exactly happened?"

"I… I had a really terrible nightmare."Qi Xia said, his eyes darkening.

"A terrible nightmare?"Yu Nian'an touched Qi Xia's face with some concern. "Did you dream about demons or ghosts? Or maybe a deranged killer?"

"To me, those aren't nightmares."Qi Xia shook his head. "An, I dreamed that I lost you."

"Pfft."Yu Nian'an burst out laughing at Qi Xia's words. "You lost me? Then why didn't you come looking for me?"

"I did look."Qi Xia slowly covered his forehead with his hands, feeling an overwhelming ache in his heart. "I couldn't find you… I threw myself into Wujian Diyu, endured countless tragedies, but I had no idea where to look…"

"Okay, okay…"Yu Nian'an hugged Qi Xia worriedly, sensing that he was truly exhausted. "Don't let your mind wander like that. I'm right here, I haven't gone anywhere."

Qi Xia closed his eyes and nestled in Yu Nian'an's arms, feeling as if his whole world had returned.

It was as if by some miracle, he had truly asked Zhongyan Zhidi for Yu Nian'an back.

As long as Yu Nian'an was with him, he could even stand against the almighty god.

"Xia, are you hungry?"Yu Nian'an asked.

"I…"

Qi Xia hadn't had a proper meal in days, but as soon as he looked into Yu Nian'an's eyes, he felt that everything was fine, and he didn't need food at all.

"I'll make something for you to eat."Yu Nian'an patted Qi Xia's head like she was caring for a child. "Wait for me a bit."

Yu Nian'an stood up, took an apron off the hook on the wall, and went into the kitchen.

As soon as Yu Nian'an left his sight, Qi Xia felt a wave of panic and quickly followed her into the kitchen.

There she was, right in the kitchen, not gone anywhere. She was just preparing to wash some vegetables.

"What's with you…?"Yu Nian'an asked. "Are you afraid I'll poison your food?"

"No, it's not that…"Qi Xia shook his head. "I'm just scared that I've gone mad, that you're just a hallucination."

Yu Nian'an frowned as she listened.

She put down the vegetables and walked over, pinching Qi Xia's arm with a huff.

It hurt, but Qi Xia smiled through it.

"You little rascal, does that hurt?!"Yu Nian'an pretended to be angry as she asked.

"Yes."Qi Xia nodded.

"If I'm a hallucination, could I make you hurt like that?"Yu Nian'an pouted and turned away. "If you're not going to help with dinner, then get out and wait—don't make a mess in here!"

But Qi Xia had no intention of leaving.

He just wanted to stay quietly by Yu Nian'an's side.

Seeing Qi Xia like this, Yu Nian'an could only shake her head and say, "Xia, how about this? Guess what delicious thing I'm making for you. If you guess right, you can stay in the kitchen."

Qi Xia's mind was completely filled with thoughts of Yu Nian'an, so he wasn't thinking about the food at all. He blurted out without thinking, "Bean sprouts and eggplant stir-fry."

Yu Nian'an paused slightly while washing the vegetables, then turned back in disbelief. "I'm washing green onions here—how did you guess bean sprouts and eggplant stir-fry?"

"Uh…"Qi Xia smiled helplessly. "It must mean we're on the same wavelength."

Yu Nian'an brought out the two small dishes, and Qi Xia devoured them clean.

Whether it was from eating too many cans from Zhongyan Zhidi or because Yu Nian'an's cooking was just that good, Qi Xia thought he'd never tasted anything so delicious before.

Yu Nian'an made the bean sprouts without vinegar, using chili and green onions instead.

For the eggplant stir-fry, she skipped the dark soy sauce and added a few spoons of sugar.

These little tweaks perfectly hit the spot for Qi Xia.

He felt that he and Yu Nian'an were truly meant for each other. Even though it was her first time making these dishes, they were exactly to his taste.

After finishing the meal, Qi Xia gradually felt a sense of unease creeping in.

He knew that no matter how happy his current life was, it was still under the shadow of the "earthquake countdown."

The devastating earthquake would strike at noon tomorrow, destroying everything he had.

Where could he escape to leave Zhongyan Zhidi behind?

Just thinking about Zhongyan Zhidi brought back its bizarre and surreal scenes in his mind.

What had happened to the massacre at Tiantang Kou in the end?

Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling should have listened to him and survived, right?

Yes, they had at least made it to the tenth day.

They were probably in their own timelines now… fulfilling their final wishes?

"Knock knock knock." A gentle voice called out nearby.

Qi Xia paused, then turned to see Yu Nian'an beside him, wearing a mischievous smile. He laughed and asked, "Who's at the door?"

"Oh, so Qi Xia is home!"Yu Nian'an huffed. "You ate and didn't even wash the dishes—I thought Qi Xia wasn't home at all!"

"I was wrong."

Qi Xia smiled contentedly. He was satisfied with this.

If his life could stay like this forever, he'd be more than satisfied.

From this moment on, he decided that every time he entered Zhongyan Zhidi, he'd kill himself right away.

Forget about the "three thousand six hundred Dao," or escaping, or the "supreme path," or Tiantang Kou.

Let them all go to hell.

He was willing to loop in this single day forever.

Such a life was enough for him.

After washing the dishes, Qi Xia glanced toward the bedroom and suddenly thought of something, freezing in place.

He walked over and slowly pushed the door open, then stood there stunned.

There was still no bed.

All he saw was a table and a chair.

His eyes widened slowly, and he felt a headache coming on.

What the heck—where was the bed?!

This was Yu Nian'an's room, but there was no place for her to sleep.

Qi Xia quickly turned around and saw Yu Nian'an in the living room, wiping the table.

She hadn't disappeared, but there was no bed in the house.

A strange feeling began to build in his heart.

"Oh, right!"Yu Nian'an walked over slowly, smiling a bit sheepishly. "Xia, I made a mistake—don't laugh at me, okay?"

"Wh-what mistake?"

"A while ago, I ordered a bed online, right?"Yu Nian'an touched her head. "The delivery said it would arrive today, so I had a scrap collector take our old bed away this morning… But there was a problem with the delivery—they said it'll come tomorrow instead… So, we'll have to sleep on the floor tonight, hehe…"

Hearing this, Qi Xia let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Orig-originally it was something like that?!"He smiled with relief. "It's fine, An… If it's just that… it's totally fine…"